Surface cleaning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9814361-B2
Application number	US-201314383474-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2013
Priority date	Mar 9, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

An upright surface cleaning apparatus may include a surface cleaning head, a flexible conduit section and an upper section movably mounted to the cleaning head. The upper section may include an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet, The surface cleaning apparatus may also include a suction motor positioned in the air flow passage. The upper section may also include an upflow conduit positioned in the air flow passage between the flexible conduit section and the air treatment member. When the upper section is in the upright position, the flexible conduit may include a portion that extends downwardly to a downstream end of the flexible conduit and the upflow conduit may extend upwardly from an upstream end of the upflow conduit to a downstream end of the upflow conduit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
(a) a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet;
(b) an air flow passage extending from the dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet and comprising a flexible conduit section;
(c) an upper section movably mounted to the cleaning head and moveable between a upright position and a second inclined in use position and comprising
(d) an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet;
(e) a suction motor positioned in the air flow passage; and,
(f) the upper section further comprising an upflow conduit positioned in the air flow passage between the flexible conduit section and the air treatment member and, when the upper section is in the upright position, the flexible conduit comprises a portion that extends downwardly to a downstream end of the flexible conduit and the upflow conduit extends upwardly from an upstream end of the upflow conduit to a downstream end of the upflow conduit, wherein, when the upper section is in the upright position, at least a portion of the upflow conduit is positioned below a center of gravity of the upright surface cleaning apparatus.

2. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the upper section is in the upright position the upstream end of the upflow conduit is positioned below the center of gravity of the surface cleaning apparatus and the downstream end of the upflow conduit is above the center of gravity of the surface cleaning apparatus.

3. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upstream end of the upflow conduit is at a level with the suction motor, and the suction motor is disposed below the air treatment member at a lower end of the upright section.

4. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air treatment member comprises an air inlet and when the upper section is in the upright position the upstream end of the upflow conduit is below the air inlet of the cyclone chamber.

5. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the downstream end of the rigid upflow conduit comprises a handle drivingly connected to the upper section.

6. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a rigid upflow conduit extending upwardly from an upstream end connected in air flow communication with the surface cleaning head to a downstream end positioned above the air treatment member when the upper section is in the upright position, and the flexible conduit section positioned between the downstream end of the rigid upflow conduit and the upstream end of the upflow conduit.

7. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air treatment member comprises a cyclone chamber and a dirt collection chamber disposed at least partially below the cyclone chamber to receive dirt from the cyclone chamber, the dirt collection chamber having a bottom end wall and the upstream end of the upflow conduit is below the bottom end wall of the dirt collection chamber when the upper section is in the upright position.

8. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the upper section comprises a cleaning unit and the cleaning unit comprises at least the air treatment member.

9. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the cleaning unit has a cleaning unit height measured in the direction of a longitudinal cleaning unit axis and a longitudinal spacing between the upstream end of the upflow conduit and the downstream end of the upflow conduit is between about 15% and about 100% of the upper section unit height.

10. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the longitudinal spacing between the upstream end of the upflow conduit and the downstream end of the upflow conduit is between about 35% and about 85% of the upper section unit height.

11. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 , wherein a longitudinal spacing between the upstream end of the upflow conduit and the bottom of the cleaning unit is less than about 25% of the upper section unit height.

12. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the longitudinal spacing between the upstream end of the upflow conduit and the bottom of the cleaning unit is less than about 10% of the upper section height.

13. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising an above floor cleaning wand, the surface cleaning apparatus is operable in a floor cleaning mode wherein the above floor cleaning wand forms a portion of the air flow passage and an above floor cleaning mode wherein an inlet of the above floor cleaning wand is detached from air flow communication with the dirty air inlet, and the above floor cleaning wand has an outlet connected upstream from the flexible conduit section.

14. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the cleaning wand has a wand length, the upflow conduit has an upflow conduit length and the upflow conduit length is at least 35% of the wand length.

15. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 13 , when the cleaning wand is attached to the upper section and when the upper section is in the upright position, the inlet of the cleaning wand is positioned vertically between the upstream end and downstream end of the upflow conduit.

16. An upright surface cleaning apparatus comprising:
(a) a surface cleaning head having a dirty air inlet;
(b) an air flow passage extending from the dirty air inlet to a clean air outlet;
(c) an upper section movably mounted to the surface cleaning head and moveable between an upright position and a second inclined in use position, the upper section comprising
(d) an air treatment member positioned in the air flow passage between the dirty air inlet and the clean air outlet; and,
(e) a suction motor positioned in the air flow passage;
(f) wherein, when the upper section is in the upright position, the air flow passage comprises:
(i) a rigid first upflow conduit extending between an upstream end of the rigid first upflow conduit that is in fluid flow communication with the surface cleaning head and a downstream end of the rigid first upflow conduit that is positioned above the air treatment member;
(ii) a second upflow conduit extending upwardly from an upstream end of the second upflow conduit that is positioned proximate a lower end of the upper section to a downstream end of the second upflow conduit that is positioned above the upstream end of the second upflow conduit;
and,
(iii) a downflow conduit extending between the downstream end of the first upflow conduit and the upstream end of the second upflow conduit.

17. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the air treatment member comprises an air inlet and when the upper section is in the upright position the upstream end of the second upflow conduit is below the air inlet of the cyclone chamber.

18. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the upper section has an upper section height measured in the direction of a longitudinal cleaning unit axis and a longitudinal spacing between the upstream end of the second upflow conduit and the downstream end of the second upflow conduit is between about 15% and about 100% of the upper section height.

19. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the longitudinal spacing between the upstream end of the second upflow conduit and the downstream end of the second upflow conduit is between about 25% and about 85% of the upper section height.

20. The surface cleaning apparatus of claim 18 , wherein a longitudinal spacing

Assignees

• Euro-Pro Operating Llc
• Sharkninja Operating Llc

Inventors

• Bilger Dan
• St Amand Susan Rifkin

Classifications

• A47L5/28 Primary

  Suction cleaners with handles and nozzles fixed on the casings, e.g. wheeled suction cleaners with steering handle (A47L5/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47L5/225

  Convertible suction cleaners, i.e. convertible between different types thereof, e.g. from upright suction cleaners to sledge-type suction cleaners · CPC title

• A47L9/165

  Construction of inlets · CPC title

• A47L9/242

  Hose or pipe couplings · CPC title

• A47L9/1683

  Dust collecting chambers; Dust collecting receptacles · CPC title